EFCC Arraigns Woman and 3 Men For $1 Million Fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Wednesday February 8, arraigned the quartet of Umar Audu Bida, Truth Igogori, Ifenyinwa Nwankwesiri and Ogechukwu Obaji before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, Abuja on a 9-count charge bordering on conspiracy, forgery and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of $1million (one million US dollars).


The accused were arraigned alongside four companies: Universal Contractors, Lambda Energy Services Limited, Double Wonder Concept Limited, and ICS Energy Services Limited.

Bida and his co-accused sometimes in 2014 allegedly conspired to defraud one Donald Latella of North Park LLC of $1million under the pretext of supplying about two million barrels of Bonny Light Crude Oil.

The offence contravenes Section 8 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Act.

The accused persons pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them.

Upon their pleas, counsel to the EFCC, Onjefu Obe, asked the court for a date to present witnesses and for the accused to be remanded in prison custody pending trial.

However, Ammeh O. Ammeh representing 1st and 5th defendants and R. O. Attabo standing for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th defendants, prayed the court to admit their clients to bail.

Justice Nyako held that the court was a court of record and asked the defence to make their applications formal.

The judge, thereafter, adjourned to Thursday, February 16, 2017, for hearing of the bail application and ordered that the accused persons be remanded in prison.